Schengen — Single-Entry Visa

Summary

Visa type

Type C, single-entry

Entries allowed

One

Day limit

As printed on the visa sticker

Window

Fixed [valid from, valid until] dates

Basis

EU Visa Code (Reg. 810/2009)

A Schengen single-entry visa (Type C) lets you enter the Schengen Area once and stay for the number of days authorized on the sticker, but only within the fixed validity window printed as “valid from” and “valid until” dates. The moment you leave the Schengen Area the visa is spent — even if authorized days remain — and re-entering requires a new visa.

Who it applies to

This matters most if you are:

• A traveler from a visa-required nationality making a single short trip to the Schengen Area.
• Someone attending one event, conference, or family visit with no plan to leave and return mid-trip.
• A first-time Schengen visitor, who is often issued a single-entry visa before multiple-entry visas.

It applies regardless of which Schengen state issued the visa — the same one-entry rule holds across the whole Area.

The rule — and why it exists

A single-entry Type C visa carries two constraints at the same time, both set under the EU Visa Code (Regulation 810/2009):

• One entry. You may cross the external Schengen border to enter exactly once. On exit the visa is exhausted, no matter how much of it is unused.
• A day cap inside a validity window. You may stay up to the authorized number of days, and that stay must fall entirely between the “valid from” and “valid until” dates.

Why it exists: the single-entry restriction lets consulates grant access tightly matched to a specific, one-off purpose of travel, while the fixed window and day cap keep short-stay visas from becoming open-ended residence. It is the most restrictive of the three entry types precisely because it is the default for applicants without an established travel history.

Counting the days

1. 1Your stay may not begin before the "valid from" date, nor extend past the "valid until" date.
2. 2Every day physically inside the Schengen Area counts toward your authorized day total.
3. 3The day of entry and the day of exit both count as days of stay.
4. 4You must leave on or before the earlier of two dates: the day your authorized days run out, or the "valid until" date.

The number of authorized days is set by the issuing consulate and can be shorter than the length of the validity window — the window is simply the calendar period inside which those days may be used.

Examples

Example 1 — leaving early forfeits the rest

Your visa authorizes 15 days, valid 1–30 June. You enter on 3 June and fly home on 10 June (8 days used). The remaining 7 days and the rest of June are gone — the visa was spent when you exited, so you cannot return on it.

Example 2 — the window ends before the days do

Your visa authorizes 20 days but is valid only 1–15 July (a 15-day window). Even though 20 days are printed, you must leave by 15 July, so at most 15 days are actually usable — you must respect whichever limit bites first.

Example 3 — moving between Schengen countries

You enter through France, then travel to Germany and Italy without leaving the Area. That is a single entry: the internal moves are not border crossings, so the visa is not spent until you finally exit the Schengen external border.

Exceptions & edge cases

• Extension. A single-entry visa can be extended only in exceptional cases — force majeure, humanitarian, or serious personal reasons — as decided by the national authorities where you are.
• Airport transit. Passing airside without entering the Schengen Area is not an entry; some nationalities instead need a separate airport transit visa (Type A).
• Need to come and go? If your trip involves leaving and returning, you need a double-entry or multiple-entry visa — a single-entry visa cannot be reused.

Common misconceptions

• “I still have days left, so I can pop out and come back.” False — exiting the Area spends the visa regardless of remaining days.
• “Flying between two Schengen cities uses an entry.” False — internal travel isn't a new entry; only crossing the external border is.
• “The day cap is the only limit.” False — the validity window is a separate, equally binding limit; you must satisfy both.
• “Leaving early banks the unused days for next time.” False — unused days are forfeited and never carry over to a future trip.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• EU Visa Code — Council Regulation (EC) No 810/2009
• European Commission — Short-stay Schengen visa (Type C)